


Like Fish in a Bowl

by RiYuYami



Series: Pulling Strings [4]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Based on the writer's theory of respawing, Character Death, Gen, Henry's not gonna be happy about what happens to him, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-04 01:45:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12760596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiYuYami/pseuds/RiYuYami
Summary: The devil never plays fair in the stories about him, neither does the Devil Darlin'.Not even death is allowed when he decides to play with you.





	Like Fish in a Bowl

**Author's Note:**

> Based on some silly theory I have about how Henry really doesn't die in the game (seeing how he's survived falling several stories, getting struck in the back of the head, getting attacked multiple times, ect.), and that "Bendy" is behind much of what happens in the moments where he is suppose to die.
> 
> Demonic ink has a lot of benefits, both great and terrible...

Henry was getting really, really annoyed with these valves he had to keep turning. Why does he have to do all of this work? He was sure that he and Boris could do just fine on finding an exit out of this place on their own, and not the one that “Alice” said she was gonna send them to when he was done doing...

...whatever he was suppose to be doing for her.

Collect five power cores, right, whatever that means. He’s got three of them already, and a few more turns will give him the fourth!

He paused after turning one of the little valves, damn these things were loud.

He listened, carefully, for any change in sound in he general area. All Henry heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall, and the soft, distant echoing of the machinery in the other room.

“Alice” warned him to be careful of how much noise he made, for it attracts the Ink Demon to wherever Henry is. Though “Bendy” is blinded by the ink that covers his face, apparently his hearing is far superior than expected, and that… actually makes Henry very nervous.

He had wondered before, during his last encounter with the monster, before he found Boris, about this. The beast had chased him down the hall, but after his adrenaline rush from the fear-induce run, Henry had noticed that "Bendy" bumped into objects often, but still followed him in the right direction.

It was unsettling how he was able to do that.

So far, Henry hadn't ran into him yet, nor had he heard any of his heavy stomping, his skittering in the pipes, his screams and heavy breathing, or even seen his weird ink trails that seemed to extend out past the creature.

Maybe "Bendy" hadn’t heard any of the noises Henry had made, and that Henry only imagined that they were so loud. Fear often did that to a person, haha…

He turned the valve one more time and the door to the power core opened. He smirked and reached for it, but paused.

Something… felt off…

Turning slowly, the animator watched in horror as the ink splatter on the wall behind him changed shape, to that of something mimicking his shadow almost.

Before he could react, to run to the nearest Little Miracles Station, or to even lift up his plunger in a feeble attempt to defend himself…

The Ink Demon made himself known and jumped out of the ink shadow, his cold, inky, gloved hand grabbing Henry by the neck. Using the other hand, the beast shoved a finger into his prey's open mouth, making him taste ink.

And then there was nothing but darkness and Henry's choking, dying gasps as his throat was crushed.

–

_Black, black, black, all around him._

_Countless voices came in every direction and no direction. They were begging for help, for release, for something to happen. He swore he even heard the little song that Sammy had sung before his death, as he found himself swimming in the nothing, the thick nothing that burned his senses, and tasted like ink._

_How many times in the past had Henry accidentally put an ink-covered finger to his mouth and unconsciously licked it?_

_You never forget the taste, especially when it was the last thing you tasted before you ended up in... wherever this is._

_Is this death?_

_Death tastes like ink?_

_Fitting, he supposed._

_He closed his eyes, or were they already closed and he just opened them, he couldn’t tell, he decided to just… let this happen. Well, he figured “Bendy" would get him eventually._

**_Now is not the time for you to be here._ **

_What?_

–

A hard shove, and Henry was gasping for air, sitting up as a bright light blinded him. He winced, closing his eyes tightly, before opening them again, to see that… he was looking at a strange statue of Bendy. Wait, he knew this statue, he had seen it when he got off the elevator to the floor “Alice” sent him to.

Turning, he found the elevator, and Boris standing there, looking both horrified and relieved.

Henry looked down at himself, finding that he was sitting in a puddle of ink. Wait… he touched his neck, finding no pain, nothing. But didn’t “Bendy” just… did… what did that creature do to him? Did he send him into the ink?

Was it the ink?

All those voices…

_… like fish in a bowl!_

Right, “Alice” had mentioned there were voices swimming in the ink, and you could come out of it. But what happened? How did he end up here, back at the elevator? Didn’t the demon want him dead?

Henry stood up on shaky legs, checking the bag that "Alice" had given him to carry the cores, finding them all in there, and the plunger was still with him. He… he needed a moment to breathe, he needed a moment to think, and maybe a stiff drink, to get through the rest of this task.

Four down, one more to go…

**Author's Note:**

> Who is the voice in the ink?
> 
> I hinted to them in one of my other drabbles.
> 
> Thanks for reading, kudos and comments are totally welcomed!


End file.
